Is fundal height supposed to correspond with how many "weeks" you are or with the baby's gestational age? According to my u/s I am 27 weeks, but accordiung to mt LMP I am 29 weeks. I am measuring at 29 weeks, so I am thinking that the u/s date wasn't accurate (considering it was a 2nd Trimester u/s). What do you think? How are you measuring? TIA!

Hrmmm. I don't know then. I would just go with whichever due date is seems right. Your LMP isn't always the best indicator because that doesn't always predict when you ovulated. Seeing the baby on ultrasound and assessing age based on developments seems more accurate. If I had gone by LMP with my daughter, she would have been 5 weeks overdue. But I went by the ultrasound date from an U/S I had at 10 weeks and she was 10 days late according to that. She looked just about right for being 10 days. Not much vernix but not totally wrinkled from being in there a long time.

You really in subsequent pregnancies can be off by a number of weeks (more than 2 even) in fundal height and have it be in a normal range. Getting another ultrasound really seems like a waste to me, not to mention that babes don't like 'em! Do you have a good idea of a conception date or was this one a surprise (sorry I can't remember!)?

I've been measuring about 2 weeks ahead, but I KNOW when I conceived because I was charting. Even on a 20 week ultrasound and a subsequent 22 week ultrasound (after my accident) the baby was measuring about a week ahead of my due date. Ultrasounds are notorious for being incorrect about baby size, and I think that checking for dates is best if done in the first trimester, which is also when you have the highest risk of miscarriage, which some think ultrasounds and doppler use can help trigger.

This one was a surprise! And I really don't know when I concieved (both due dates are a possibility b/c my mom watched the boys for us so we could have some "alone" time on both o0f the possible dates!). The only reason for concern is the fact that I am fairly certain the original due date is correct (May 3rd) and I have big babies anyway (and tend to have long, drawn-out prodromal (sp?) labor w/no progress. When they changed my EDD w/my first 2 they later decided that they shouldn't have. Since I am at a new OB he wants to get an idea of how big baby is (he is concerned about a 11+ lb baby fitting through my pelvis). Plus I was measuring right along with their EDD of May 13th & now I am suddenly (2 weeks later) measuring at 29.

I believe that, Breeder! Problem is my OB doesn't & if I consistently measure ahead I am afraid he might try to push a c/s (part of me wants to "accidently" not make it to the hospital : ) Plus I KNOW the u/s weight guesses aren't that accurate~ they said Colby wouldn't be over 8 lbs & he was 9 lbs, 15 oz! Boy was the midwife shocked! :LOL honestly though, after all of Colby's health issues and the nightmares I have been having about this pg a u/s at this point would be reassuring.

You know, I'd talk to the guy and suddenly "figure" out when you conceived based on a "diary entry" or something. That way, you can be behind dates and he'll leave you alone. I know you're worried about the bean after Colby's health issues (I TOTALLY get that), but at some point you need to relinquish control.

Yeah, except with dd2 I KNEW to the day when I concieved & he was overdue by my calculations (his size, appearance etc led the midwives to agree that I was right) and if I would have waited until their EDD he would have been over 3 weeks past due. I have never gone into labor on my own (I have had 6 days of PAINFUL prodromal labor though, that caused NO dilation, etc.) Anyways, I am pretty sure the May 4th EDD is when it happened b/c it fits w/my LMP & when my mom watched the boys~ which is what I told the dr. I'm just wondering why I would measure 1 cm larger each month & then 2 weeks later, meaduring 3 cm more. Growth spurt maybe?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being 3 weeks past due. It happens all the time. LMP means absolutely nothing when considering conception. Sperm can live up to five (some say seven) days. The only way to know when you conceived/ovulated is to chart your temperature and note a temperature rise.

With my first pregnancy, according to LMP, DS was 15 days past due. That also made sense according to when we had sex, but DS seemed on time. Now, because I charted for 5 months and have more awareness of my cycles, I think that we had one of those instances where the sperm lived a while and DS was actually conceived about a week after when my LMP would have indicated. Therefor, he was only about 8 days past due, which doesn't matter at all, as I also think it takes me a little longer than "normal" to gestate babies.

It is so much better for you to allow labor to start on it's own. With my 1st pregnancy, I was dilated 3 cms and having irregular contractions for over a week before labor actually began. You will hear stories like that all over. It's normal. You are normal.

I'm sorry, I hope you didn't take what I said in my previous post to be offensive. I didn't mean it that way. I just want you to have a good outcome and experience, and maybe I'm projecting what I think a good outcome and experience is. I get frustrated when I see people not having faith in their bodies. You know you better than I do and better than any doctor. Please forgive me.

No apology necessary! I wasn't offended. I get passionate like that when it comes to BFing! It's actually nice to hear from someone else that yes my body knows what it's doing! B/C so often dr.s try to convince you it doesn't. I think part of the reason the dr wants the u/s is that I have only just started seeing him, so he hasn't really had time to judge for himself whether my suddenly measuring much larger sould be an issue.

I have thought & thought about this, and we had an "oops!" late late July, and were just plain not careful enough Aug 10 & the last weekend in August (those 2 weekends my mom had our boys overnight & we had our first overnight alone w/out my being pg since we were dating! :LOL I was pg on our honeymoon! So we threw caution to the wind ) So I really have no idea when I concieved. My LMP was July 27th, but it was a light one, and I had stopped taking Domperidone in late June. So who knows? My u/s is in half-an-hour, I'll update when I get home.

Forgot to add~ I don't have much faith in u/s this late in pg anyway. With Colby they did one at 36 weeks & said "He will be around 8 lbs, definitely not over 9 lbs"~ he was 9 lbs, 15 oz.Yep, really accurate.

Sorry to jump in here.... I just wanted to say that fundal height is not meant to be totally accurate. I measured 41 cm at 32 weeks. Mine is related to fibroids, I am sure. Don't second guess your body. It can be related to baby position, amount of amniotic fluid, etc. The baby will grow as big as he/she needs to... I hope all of your stress goes away soon!

I can tell you that their "best guess" is nowhere near a best guess. They told me that my first would be "around 6lbs" and she was 9lbs, 13oz. I was told that my second was "fairly good sized" and she was 6lbs, 15oz! Just remember to stay at home for as long as possible when you go into labor and remember that you always have the right to say "NO".

So they decided based on BOTH sonograms the due date is May 3rd. Which made the most sense to me anyway. I plan to try touse herbal remedies to help labor along if necessary. Any suggstions on herbal remedies?

The best thing to help labor along is patience! Trust me after having 1-3 contrax an hour every hour for a week with the first one and for 2 weeks with the second I know all about patience!

Just out of curiousity, with your last prodomal labor experience did you have any effacing or softening even though you didn't dialate? Contrax do that too, and they can also affect the baby and positioning and many other things that are actually "moving" your labor along even if you don't know it.

If you want to be proactive I think one of the best things to look into is cranial-sacral therapy or acupuncture. Both operate on the idea of alignment and putting your body/energy/baby in the proper alignment to stimulate labor to begin.

As for your doc, I want to second what others have said. You have the right to say no to any procedure. Especially if there is nothing showing any immediate harm to you or your baby. (i.e. fetal decels on a monitor, maternal high blood pressure, etc.) Keep reminding yourself that pregnancy, labor, delivery are all normal natural occurances, not medical events to be managed.

One thing that has helped me to get over the need to know when the baby will come is to say to myself I am due end of May beginning of June. Rather than June 1st!

I know the OB's approach and the MW's approach to birth is so very different, and that is part of what is behind the advise and information you are getting. MW's are a lot more relaxed about women going postdates and much more willing to let go and let the woman's body and baby do what they are going to do. OB's are taught to problem solve and for some OB's everything is a problem!

Blessings,
Nichol

BTW, take what I and others say with a grain of salt too, only you can make the right decision for you and your baby. ONLY YOU.

My periods were not regular. So this pregnancy was a surprise. We did an ultrasound to get my EDD. May 13, 2006. My first was a girl at 9lb 10 oz. My last appt my fundal ht was 37 and i was only 32 weeks along. My 20 week u/s was one week sooner than my due date but he was still sticking w/orig due date. Dr. said he will measure agian at my next appt and if measuring big he will do another u/s. Dr told me to not expect anything less than a 10 pound baby from the first appt. This one is a boy so we shall see how big he will be. Both pregnancies were/have been normal. I had a vaginal delivery (8 hours from start of contractions to delivery of baby).

My friend is having the same problems with her #2 pregnancy, She's measuring 6wks ahead and they are telling her she has to wait. They predicted her due date for March 30th, had a funny last period, the same as with her first dd and she thinks they've screwed up. Honestly I can't say as I blame her. But it's a pain when you're going to a small hospital where one doc is as stubborn as a jack@ss and the other is too booked to be seen.
I just hope she doesn't have any problems. She said her first one was supposedly 4wks early and ended up being over 6lbs. Which you could say may or may not have been early but who knows with the second one until she has it.

well, i am 38 & 1/2 weeks and measuring at 38 & i/2 inches for my fuindus....but I am seriously thinking about taking the mamas advice that suggested accupuncture to hurry this along...lord help me if this goes 3 weeks more